2005 Leoville Barton Bordeaux Blend - France - Bordeaux - St Julien - Red - Second Growth

Very dark and dense. Has currants, blackberries and spices. But this wine is still very tannic.

An amazing amount of fruit still hidden underneath the heavy tannins.

Can't pin it down yet. Licorice and chocolate notes, pushy tannins that will probably smoothe out nicely. Way too young to drink now or for me to even give it a number.

After a superficially pleasing 2004, this gets my vote for the most frighteningly backward, introverted wine of the tasting (I did not taste Calon Segur, which usually takes the cake in that category). Monstrous structure, only whispering at dusty cassis, graphite, forest floor and iron notes as the tension in this wine makes it almost a foreboding tasting experience. It is way too disjointed, clumsy and rigid for me to get any bead on this wine other than it has the substance to age for a century. This Chateau has a great track record for coming into harmony w/ bottle age, but I can'tbe optimistic from this brief tasting acquaintance to make any calls?.I need to spend more time analyzing, decanting and appreciating this particular performance.